Sun bathing or tanning has been a popular recreational activity for many years. A tanner will typically lie in a lounge chair or on a towel placed in the sunshine such that the ultraviolet rays of the sun cause the skin of the tanner to darken. There has also been a proliferation of tanning parlors, which utilize artificial sources of ultraviolet radiation rather than the sun for tanning. It is highly desirable that the various portions of a tanner's body receive roughly equal exposure to the tanning radiation in order that the tanner receive an even tan.
To ensure even exposure to the tanning radiation, a tanner must typically change his or her position periodically by rising from the towel or lounge chair, moving the same with respect to the position of the radiation source, and repositioning him or herself on the towel or chair. Despite such efforts, portions of a tanner's body will generally receive less exposure and consequently be less tanned than other portions of the body because the radiation is generally downwardly directed. This is particularly true when tanning outdoors in the sunshine.
A danger inherent in any such tanning routine is that of lack of attention on the part of the tanner, often as a result of falling asleep, which may and often does, result in severe overexposure to the radiation and consequently uncomfortable or dangerous burning of the skin.
Attempts have been made to solve the problems associated with tanning. U.S. Pat. No. 3,646,896 of Derujinsky et al illustrates a rotatable platform upon which a tanner lies beneath a source of tanning radiation. A tanner lying on the Derujinsky device can manually rotate the platform while lying thereon to reposition him or herself with respect to the tanning rays.
While the Derujinsky device provides for more convenient tanning than traditional methods, many of the problems associated with tanning are not solved by the device. The tanner must still decide when and to what degree to rotate the platform and must manually rotate it by pressing on the ground or other surface adjacent the platform. Uneven tanning due to generally downwardly directed tanning rays, particularly when tanning in the sun, remains a problem when using the device of Derujinsky. Should the tanner fall asleep or otherwise lose attention while tanning on the Derujinsky device, the danger of overexposure to the radiation and consequent burning remains present. It is, therefore, to the provision of a safe and even tanning method apparatus that overcomes the problems associated with the prior art to which the current invention is primarily directed.